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Thompson Assists St. Bernard’s Pastor Return to U.S.

Feb 3, 2017

After lengthy Immigration Process Father Quimno Scheduled to Return

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (PA-05) today announced that the pastor of St. Bernard’s Church in Falls Creek, Pa. will return to the parish after a lengthy process involving U.S. Immigration.

The Rev. Matias Madera Quimno, who is affectionately called “Father Matt” by his parishioners, is a native of the Philippines who has resided in the U.S. since 2005. In addition to being pastor of the St. Bernard’s parish, he also works full-time as a chaplain at Penn Highlands Clearfield. As chaplain, he works on-call to cover emergency situations and anointing of the sick.

In 2015, Father Matt went to renew his paperwork with U.S. Immigration. Due to a heavy processing backlog his green card was delayed, which eventually resulted in the need for Father Matt to return to the Philippines for additional screenings regarding his immigrant visa petition.

After nearly two years of working in conjunction with the Erie Diocese and Rep. Thompson, Father Matt will soon return home to parishioners at St. Bernard’s.

“I am glad that such a revered member of the community will be returning home to Falls Creek,” Rep. Thompson said. “My office has been working hand-in-hand with Father Matt, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie, and the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines to resolve challenges with his green card.”

“I know many of Father Matt’s parishioners are looking forward to his return and voiced their steadfast support during this process. I am happy to announce that he is scheduled to return to the states soon,” added Thompson.